Child's Play
by LostInTheDreams
Summary: Nick thought strange things only happened to or around Harry. When, in two days, two young kids come to him, one about a kidnapping goblin, the other that the witness is missing, Nick, still skeptic, investigates. Now, trying to protect three kids from a real goblin on his own, Nick thinks maybe he should have listened closer to that crazy wizard.
1. Chapter 1

Technically I staged this a little before Ghost Story. Some of my facts may be off as ages are vague and years between Harry starting his business to the start of book one is vague.

A lot of characters are missing from the selection. This story only contains **Nick (Nicholas Christian), who is the voice of the first person narrative** , Maggie, Mouse, and Harry (Hank) Carpenter. I made up a few small facts (that or got them completely wrong) so don't take all I've put as cannon. (This is fanfiction if I'm wrong)

* * *

 **Child's Play**

Sometimes it really feels like I've done nothing with my life. I never had time for a family, girlfriends were fleeting at best, and it was all I could do to make enough money at work to get by with rent and enough food that I wasn't tempted to go digging into trashcans.

I blame the economy, really. Talk shows probably helped back in the day as well, and those had gone down the toilet with my income. Back in the day everyone was ready to hire an investigator because they thought their boyfriend was cheating on them, or their wife had a secret second family. Sure I never liked those cases much, and in most of them it was all in the client's head, but it did help keep the water on.

Specializing in lost children should have been easier. There were far more kids kidnapped each day than there were suspicious husbands or marriages falling apart. I should have been getting more business but hey, maybe people just care more about what hubby is doing on the side than junior getting his throat slashed by some crazy madman.

I had moved to the south side of Chicago some time ago for two large reasons. One, house values dropped drastically from the north side. The governor and the people then wonder why so much more crime goes on between the people struggling to live than anyone else. Maybe some money in school and welfare would help, but then again, maybe those people just can't afford better houses because of the drugs and smuggling that run rampant. Counseling and rehab would go a lot farther to stopping the gangs than a loaf of bread.

The second reason was part of the pervious. The crime rate. Chicago alone has more than double the crime rate of the whole freaking state. There are hundreds of places all over the United States that you could go to that are safer. The fact that I know that only makes up for the human cases makes Chicago a really scary place to live, even if some make a pretty penny doing it.

Yes, unlike most of the world out there, I know there are more dangers than those of men. I didn't want to know and I certainly hadn't signed up for that when I hired on a wizard what felt like many years ago now. I had been young then, in better shape than I was now and barely past thirty. I had learned a lot in those few years with him and found that there were just some children out there I had no hope of getting back.

In all that time, I don't think that strange guy had ever asked me why I did what I did, even though it was less profitable. I didn't like thinking about it myself. All that mattered were the children.

Currently I had a child sitting in front of me while I thought of what to tell him. He was young, his hair light, his eyes a strange off-blue that too many years of mixing blood was going to wipe out in a few generations from now. He seemed serious but it likely didn't have the effect he wanted, being short enough he barely peeked above my desk in the lower chair on the other side that clients used. I hated being talked down to and this was my petty solution.

"So, you're friend is missing."

The boy nodded, his hair falling in a way that made 'disheveled' look like a compliment. I hadn't failed to notice the dark mark below his left eye or the mud under his fingers.

"And you want me to find her."

Another nod.

I took in and let out a deep breath. "Kid, listen, the parents haven't reported your friend missing. You coming in telling me a fairy tale about how your friend kept seeing a goblin-looking thing at her window before she disappeared hardly gives me reason to go searching. She could be home right now."

"She's not!" the boy shouted, getting to his feet. "She's not," he repeated quieter, his voice growing steady. "And Melissa isn't my friend, she's my sister's friend. Mom and dad are out of town for another week and my older sister's been out for a while. My brother got hurt last week and he can't walk. She needs help. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think she did."

"Right. Well, come back when there's a police report." I waved my hand at the kid, shooing him off. "And when you've got some cash."

The boy stood, going into his pocket and pulling out a wallet. He put a fifty on my desk with a few crumpled ones. "This is all I have but I promise that my mom and dad will pay you the rest when they get back. You can call them."

I wasn't so desperate that I'd be taking a case that could very well get me arrested for being the kidnapper instead of the rescuer. I'd almost fallen into that trap several times now and I'd become wise to it. This was the first time that a kid was sent to me though. "Listen, I have nothing to go on. If I find this Melissa and her parents haven't reported her stolen and-"

"She's not a piece of property!" the boy snapped. "She's a girl and she was kidnapped three days ago and I don't know why her parents haven't said anything but she's in danger! I know it!"

I did feel bad about my wording but not enough to show it. The kid was obviously genuinely upset. "Fine, even if I find her then the cops could be called on me and any harm that was done to her would fall on me too. I'm not about to get arrested. Get them to file a police report and I'll think about it."

"You're a jerk!" The boy snatched the money back, walking away with tears in his eyes. He was out the door, slamming it as he left, before I could breathe again. I stared at the plastic on the door, the netting having fallen a part some years ago so I had to keep up the sliding window or let in bugs. I got up, going over to the door and then going down the hall until I was outside of the building. I found the boy a block down and stared at him.

I don't know if he sense me looking at him but something made him stop and turned back to me. We stared at each other a while, my feelings fighting with one another. There was no profit here. Odds were the kid he was looking for was on vacation or sleeping over at another friend's house and just didn't want to tell his sister and make her feel left out. An hour's worth of looking around wouldn't kill me. "Fine, come here. We'll talk."

The boy was slow to move but he turned and I went back into my office, sitting down in my chair. It made a loud click as my weight fell back into it, in need of replacing for the last few years.

"So," I said once we were both seated again. "Melissa have a last name?"

The boy nodded. "Crossman. She's seven. Here." He went into his pocket again for his wallet, pulling out a folded picture this time of two girls. One had almost black hair and dark eyes. The other had chestnut brown hair and was older by a year or two, her eyes a hazel that had more green in them than brown. "The older one. The younger one is my sister."

"You said she's been missing for three days. How did you find out about it?"

"Well, Maggie did technically. She was playing next door with her and they were supposed to go to the mall that day. Her mother had even made plans to drive them there, since my parents are out of town."

'My parents'. That was a strange way to talk about your sister. I ignored it. For all I knew they were a mixed family. That was more common now than ever before. "And she just wasn't there, huh?"

The boy nodded. "Maggie came and woke me after trying to get Daniel out of bed, but he's pretty messed up still. He…. Ah, something happened a few days ago when he broke his leg, so it's hard for him to move. The others didn't know what to do so I started looking around. Then I came here."

I arched an eyebrow at him. "You came here. I try to advertise but I admit, my own don't look as good as the others, and the cops are a damn good resource along with being free. Why come to me?"

"Well…" The boy looked unsure of himself. After a few seconds of me looking at him and the kid trying to find a good excuse, he let out a breath. "A faerie told me you might be able to help."

I couldn't help the laugh. That was the first time I'd heard that one and it got me going for a few seconds. The boy looked on at me, torn between determination and shame. I quieted down, a smile on my face now. "I didn't know fairies were such good advertisement."

" _I didn't think you'd believe me_." There was a blush on his face but he looked upset, as if he had hoped I'd believe such a wild excuse. " _I'll just go ask someone else. Sorry for bothering you."_

"Wait, wait, wait. First off, I never said I didn't believe you. Why did the fairy tell you to come to me?"

The kid shrugged. "I had to walk the dog and he started barking so I followed him, hoping he was going to help me find Melissa. He led me to a rattrap and there was a faerie inside. The thing told me it wanted to thank me for letting it out so I asked if it knew where the girl was, but I guess fairies aren't good with names and he told me to come to you and you might be able to help. I don't know why."

"I want to believe you," I told the kid earnestly. "I really do, but you're making it very hard. I'll look for the girl but I can't promise much. All this fairytale stuff isn't going to help me."

"It's not a lie." His eyes were back on me and there was an assurance in them that would have probably had me looking for fairies myself if I didn't already think they existed somewhere. "And I want to help."

"You want to help." I wasn't sure how much more I could take. First the kid reels me in with an unbelievable story and now he wanted to tail after me, dragging me down. "Look, if-"

"If it was some sort of goblin or something I can help, I think. I don't know everything, dad hasn't been teaching me, but my sister and brother have. I can probably get them to tell me what we're up against when we find it too. They can tell us how to get her back or sneak past the bad guys."

I went to my old typewriter. I had gotten it years ago because, for some reason, my computer would break down every month or so and I grew tired of going to the public library to type up contracts. I created more than a few that simply needed details added in and typed one up, passing it to the boy. "Name, date, signature. If we get in trouble at least I can't be blamed for kidnapping both of you."

"My real name?"

"No, genius, a fake name. Seriously, kid, where did you pick up those business skills?"

The kid rolled his eyes and took one of the pens out of the cup on my desk, writing out the information before handing it back to me. "It's not that. I just don't use my real name."

I looked down at the paper, thinking it was because he was someone up there in the government or something. Harry Carpenter rang no bells though and I slid the paper into one of the drawers. "Well, Harry-"

"Hank," he defended.

"Well, Harry-"

"Hank."

"Harry."

The boy let out a sigh and backed up. "Fine."

"Good. Now, Harry, first thing we're going to do is go to her house and talk with her parents. She could be away with family or maybe something's up. I don't know, but asking around is a great place to start."

"I already did that. Her parents are acting like she never existed."

"I'll just have to see that for myself, and talk to your sister too while I'm at it." I stood. I had nothing to do today anyway and I could leave my cell number on the door in case any important cases came up. I typed out a note and got a piece of tape, sticking it to the door as I left with him.

I had to get a new car a few years back and the both of us walked to my 01' Avalon, some of the paint chipping off the back bumper. It didn't look like much and it cost even less, but it was a way to get from place to place.

I wasn't expecting the hour-long car ride I had to take to get to his house. It was a nice place, somewhere you wouldn't expect a kidnapping to happen right next door to. Even the girl's house, which he told me was to the left of his own, looked well taken care of. There was no way I could see anyone in this neighborhood not reporting a crime. "How did you even get to my office?"

"Bus and then the train and then another train and another bus." Harry got out of the car. "I looked up where it was on the computer before leaving so it was pretty easy, it just took a while." Harry walked off and I followed, going up to the girl's house first.

I knocked, being greeted by a woman somewhere in her mid thirties, hair and almost red color and a body that spoke of either having kids or no life, possibly both.

"Hello, are you Miss Crossman?"

The woman nodded, looking around. I had to think that I looked pretty strange, obviously too old to be the boy's father and my somewhat dirty clothes no help. "Yes, I am. Did you need something? If you're looking for my husband, he's not home, and I'm not interested in buying anything."

"No, nothing like that. I wanted to know if Melissa might be home? I'm Harry's uncle and he seems really worried about your daughter." I pushed the boy forward a bit, hoping that the child was less threatening than I was.

"Oh, that again. I have no idea what he's talking about. There's never been anyone by that name at this house. I think he and his siblings were playing some game and it confused him or something." She bent down, the smile brighter than before. "I'm sorry Hank, but I really think you should stop playing these kinds of games. You're going to get everyone worried."

"It's not a game." Harry, or Hank, or whatever he wanted to be called, stomped his foot. "How do you not remember your own child? I'm sure Melissa's out there scared and worried and you're not helping!"

The woman let out a breath and closed her eyes, her expression upset as she stood and turned to me. "I'm sorry but this is getting to be too much. If he doesn't stop this I'm going to have to call the police."

"That's alright, ma'am. I'll set him straight. Thank you for your time." I bowed slightly, grabbing the boy's arm and pulling him away as he protested.

I dragged him back to his own house, letting him go and watching him rub his arm. "I'm not lying!"

"I know you're not. She has a set of family pictures in the background and I could see the girl in a few of them that looked like the girl in your photo." I started back at the house we had just come from. I was getting too old for this.

"Why'd you call yourself my uncle?"

I looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. "You expected me to tell her I was an investigator? She would have called the cops right then and there and you and me would both be in trouble. There'd be no one to help the girl then. The way I see it though, if her mom is being that persistent about it, she's probably hiding something."

Harry nodded, looking around his own yard. "I've gone around the neighborhood with our dog, he's really good at finding things, but he didn't pick up anything. I don't know where she could be or what to do."

"Let me do some investigating. I need to figure out the family situation and maybe then I can find where you're friend has gotten to." I opened a notebook, jotting down the names and addresses of both families. "I'll be back tomorrow, okay? If I don't have any answers by then, I'm as lost as you are."

Harry nodded. "Thank you… for coming and for believing me. I didn't think you would."

"Kid, you can't make up a story that crazy." I waved my hand, going back to my car. I'd have to start with the school that she was attending first. "Tomorrow, around five in the afternoon." I shut the door, starting off.

I got more than I thought about the girl, her friends, and her parents. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though when I went to meet the girl's father at the marketing building he worked at, I received close to the same experience I had with her mother. There was no reason the girl should have simply vanished. There was no motive, no explanation for the parents to pretend they didn't have a daughter when everyone else had no problem telling me about her. She was friendly, got good grades, and even pulled off a little mischief that had gotten her an after school detention last month for drawing on her desk. It was a strange day.

I didn't expect the next day to be stranger. I had just gotten into the office and sat down when the door opened again. In front of me stood a girl, no older than six or seven, her eyes and hair dark and tear tracks on her face falling down from her swollen red eyes. I recognized her as the other girl in the photograph from yesterday.

" _Help_ ," she simply said in a quite, harsh voice, sore from crying. " _My brother is missing."_


	2. Chapter 2

I stared blankly at the girl for a few moments, trying to get my brain to start working. I hadn't even had my coffee that day yet. "Excuse me?"

"My brother, he came to you yesterday." The girl stifled a cry, wiping her eyes. "He's missing."

Alright, either someone was playing a very elaborate prank on me or there were children suddenly going missing in a small area at a rapid pace. "Alright, alright." I waved to the seat. "Sit down. Tell me what happened."

The girl sat, wiping her eyes once more before looking at me. I frowned, something in my brain kicking in but it didn't tell me what it was that rang a few bells. "I saw him last night. He said goodnight to me and told me everything would be fine today. Then, when I got up, he was just gone. He told me not to tell anyone he went here yesterday, so I thought maybe you would know what happened to him."

"He came here and I took him home. I haven't seen him since about one o'clock yesterday afternoon." I looked at the clock on one wall, seeing that it wasn't even seven in the morning yet. There was no reason to be worried about a child that wasn't even gone more than ten hours, if she had seen him around the time that she'd gone to bed. "Maybe he went looking into your friend's disappearance some more. What was your name again?"

"Maggie." The girl turned, looking at my clock as well. I noticed she had no pockets or wristwatch, so had nothing to tell her what time it was. "And he wouldn't leave without telling me or taking Mouse."

"Mouse?"

"Our dog," Maggie clarified. "He was taking him every time he went out. Mouse is really good at finding people. I was going to have him help me find Hank but mom and dad told me I shouldn't do anything dangerous on my own." She shifted in her seat a bit. "I actually brought him with me, that way I didn't come alone. He's outside."

What a sneaky way to get around her parents rule. I had to commend her for it. "Okay, so Harry went missing. Might as well go look for him, but I'm getting breakfast on the way there. You hungry?"

There was a strange look in her eyes but it disappeared soon after and her hand went to her stomach and her eyes down. It was quiet obvious she was hungry too and a few dozen donuts sounded great right now. I got up, my hand on her shoulder. Kids. They always hit my soft spot. "Come on. Can't leave your dog waiting, now can we?"

I wasn't looking forward to putting a dog in my car but then again, I had expected to see a dog. What was staring at me on the other side of my door looked more like a small mountain covered in fur. The little girl went over to the creature and hugged it, getting lost in its massive body. It looked at me with eyes that seemed far more knowledge than a dog's should be before it sneezed and nodded its head, as if accepting me.

The three of us went to my car and the dog insisted that Maggie sit in back with it as I got in the front seat. I drove to the nearest donut place and picked up a black coffee and told them to put a mix of whatever donuts they had in a box, stopping long enough for the girl to grab a few for herself. I didn't miss when she fed one to the dog.

We were back at her house in what felt like forever and I had to wonder how well she had been able to read the train schedules to have made it to my place as well as her brother had. Children were getting smarter and smarter these days.

"So." I stood in front of her overly tidy house once more, the girl and dog at my side. "Your brother went missing." I didn't know if I really believed her on that. "How about we go ask your siblings, see if any of them have seen him?"

Maggie shook her head. "No way, Hank will get in trouble. Will is supposed to be watching us while Daniel is hurt and he'll be so mad if he knew that we left the house."

"Then maybe the two of you shouldn't have left the house," I said, walking up to the door.

Before I could get there a growl behind me startled me enough that I had to stop. I turned back slowly, seeing the friendly looking mountain of a dog look like it was about to rip someone's head off, pulling on its leash and trying to head down the street, staying still only to avoid pulling Maggie off of her feet.

"What is it, Mouse?" Maggie took a few steps and the dog took one, his legs much longer than hers. I saw them both start off and had the choice between following after them or leaving the girl and dog to potentially get whisked away while I was asking whatever siblings were home if they knew where Harry was.

Of course I couldn't do that and started after the girl and the dog. "Hey, wait!"

I was really out of shape. I had to walk quickly to keep up and the girl had started to run off ahead, trying to keep up with the dog before the creature stopped and she simply rode on it's back while it bounded down the sidewalk.

There was no way I could keep up with it and I was panting and sweating as I rounded one of the corners they took, staring down the long stretch of cement where I could barely see the dog's gray butt.

"I don't get paid enough for this," I muttered quietly, following at a walk. If I lost the girl it was hardly my fault and going back for the car would take just as long.

I should have lost them. The dog was much faster than me and it took corner after corner, making it easy to miss. Somehow I always just barely noticed the blur of motion off to the side where it had gone though, and I tried to catch up in random spurts of energy.

The dog and Maggie were standing in front of what looked like a prairie. I even noticed a sign on the side, saying that it was a preserve of some kind and that we shouldn't be walking in it. Both were staring off into the weeds and brambles that were almost as tall as me. The area itself wasn't all that large, with suburban roads and houses corralling it in, but it still looked like it would take a good two hours to search if that's what they were planning.

"So," I spoke, slightly out of breath still and sitting down to rest. "What's gotten into Fido?"

"I don't know. He found something." Maggie was looking more at the grass in her face than into the field. " _I wish dad was here_."

"You're out of luck because it's just me and you and I'm not trespassing on private property."

Both Maggie and the dog's eyes turned to me, an expression that strangely made me feel ashamed of myself. I have no idea how they did it but anyone under the driving age typically could get to me with just a look. I stared back over the weeds before shrugging. "There's really nothing we can do."

Maggie got back on top of the dog and her and the gray mass barely were tall enough together to see over the foliage as they walked into it. "I'm going to find my brother, with or without your help."

Why was it always the kids? I waded in after her, trying and failing to not cut myself up on the branches hidden in the large grass. I could feel the burs attaching themselves to my clothes and scratching my arms and legs through the material. "Fine, jesh. Just wait up."

I was sure the other two were getting it just as bad as I was, the dog a lot more so, as we treaded into the center of the field where there seemed to be a mound of some kind. The dog walked around it and I followed.

It stopped and I stepped up beside it, barely seeing an opening between the weeds. The dog was growling again, low and quiet. I reached out and put a hand on top of its head.

"So, it smells something in there."

Maggie nodded. "Mouse is smart. He knows we're looking for Hank and Melissa. Maybe one of them is in there."

"Maybe." I stepped in front of them, having to bend a bit to peek my head inside the mound. I couldn't see much, it was very dark, but I did make out little stone handholds that lead downward, almost like a ladder. If I had taken a step in I would have fallen down the hole.

I backed up, forcing the dog to back up as well. "Looks like a mine of some kind or something. I've never seen anything like this. Fido's not fitting down there, that's for sure. I'm not even sure I can make it."

"I can." Maggie got down from her mount and the dog grabbed onto the back of her shirt with its teeth. I had thought it bit her for a second but she showed no sign of pain and struggled against the dog. "Come on Mouse, let me go. They're down there, right?"

The dog made some kind of weird sound in its throat again, holding onto the girl. That was one smart dog.

"I'll go down first. If you're friends are down there, I'll get them." I didn't think I'd fit well but there was no way I was going to let a little girl go down a dark hole. This is where I should have called the cops but another part of my brain told me that would be a really bad idea. I didn't like relying on gut instincts but they had a funny way of being right most of the time.

I ducked back inside, squeezing and some dirt falling down around me as I put my feet into the holes and did my best to walk down the makeshift ladder. My back was being scrapped up a bit but it didn't overly bother me as much of the thought that, if this thing collapsed, there would be no way that I would survive.

The tunnel downward got a lot bigger where the ladder ended. I could no longer feel the walls around me and, as my foot touched the ground, I had to reach into my pocket for my lighter. There was absolutely no light to see by down here.

I heard and then felt the shift of mud and rock above me, Maggie moving into my sight as she stepped down beside me, a smile on her face.

"You were supposed to stay up there."

"I know." She walked ahead of me, as if afraid of nothing. Kids really should learn that they're not invincible one of these days. It had a way of constantly getting them into trouble.

I followed her with my lighter, moving it around the walls. It was a large cavern area and I could see stone chairs and a table, along with the remnants that might have been a fireplace at one time before that area collapsed.

" _What is this place?_ " I spoke quietly. The chairs and table were too small for someone like me, or someone even fifty pounds less than me to feel comfortable in.

" _I don't know_." Maggie walked beside one of the chairs and I noticed it looked perfect for someone her size. We kept going until we reached a hallway, several things that were likely doors, though made out of stone and hung on hinges crafted from wood and metal. I pushed opened the first I came to, no knob or latch on it.

Inside, tied by the wrist and ankles, was a young girl. Her hair was a strange orange color in the light of my flame and it looked like she'd had been rolling around in the mud, but it was definitely the girl from the photograph.

"Melissa!" Maggie cried, going over to her and untying her. The girl looked up at her, her clothes dirty and warped where it looked like she or someone else had been grabbing at them. She looked paler than Maggie in the light, though it was hard to tell, and her eyes were dull and near lifeless.

I bent down beside her, rubbing her arm and trying to get her to come to. "Hey there, are you okay? You're Melissa, right? How did you get down here?"

" _Ah…_ **"** Her voice was whisper quiet and I gave her as much time as she needed to get herself together. She let out a few breaths that wanted to be words but weren't coherent enough to understand.

"We need to get her out of here," I spoke to Maggie. There was no way I could carry her up when I barely fit down the passage to begin with, but I'd find a way.

"What about Hank? We still need to find him."

Right. The boy was still missing too. "You stay with her. Try and see if she can stand up and climb out of the tunnel. I don't have another lighter so I'll come back for you when I find your brother. If she can't get up, I'll carry her."

Maggie nodded and I left the room, closing the door behind me with them still in the room. There was no way to pull it open from that side which explained why there wasn't a doorknob. It was clearly a room meant for prisoners of some kind.

Slowly I went through the other doors. The first was empty except for a hole in the ground and it smelled foul. I had a good guess of what that room was and quickly closed the door. The next room I came to was almost empty, except there was clearly nothing in it at all. I noticed some parts of the mud under my feet were darker and didn't want to think about what they were.

The forth room I got lucky. Harry was there, tied up like the girl, though there were bruises on his face and one of his eyes was blackening. He was awake and winced when he saw my lighter. I put it off to the side and looked the boy over, going to untie him. "Hey, Harry. What happened?"

" _Mmm_." Harry cleared his throat before he tried talking again. " _I don't know. I heard someone knocking at my window but I didn't see anything. I heard it again and went outside to check what it was. Then… nothing_."

"Alright. Lets get you out of here." I had to put the lighter out to untie him and relit it once I was done, looking around the barren room. "I found Melissa. Your sister is with her. We should all get out of here. If there are more kids, we'll leave it to the police."

Harry was rubbing his wrists and he shook his head. "No way. Whatever got me, I never saw it coming. There's no way the police can fight it."

"And me, you, and two girls can? We need to get out of here while we have the chance."

"I'm not going." Harry folded his arms in front of himself, beat up but as defiant as ever. "If there are others in trouble I doubt the kidnapper will leave them alive if the cops swarm down here."

That was a very good point but it wasn't as if I knew what I was up against either. I debated, Harry looking at me and making me feel just as ashamed as his sister did. This was why I worked with the parents and not the kids. It was so much easier to say no to an adult.

"Fine, we take a quick look around and then we go."

Harry nodded, getting to his feet and looking at his surroundings. I was pretty sure this was the first good look he was getting at his new abode of the last few hours. "We're underground."

"Yep." I stepped out the door before him, having him follow me. "Not for long though. Come on." It was going to be a quick look and then we'd be gone.

The next few rooms were empty, the same design as the others, and I left them quickly. I stopped when I came to one near the end of the hall, two sets of human bones in there, too small to have belonged to anyone older than a babe. "Jesus."

"Hey!" Harry scolded me. "Don't speak his name like that."

I brushed him off, not wanting to look in that room any more. I hoped that if there were anymore kids they were in better condition than those two.

I was glad when I reached the last door, pushing it open, then quickly regretted celebrating so early. The shadows shifted when my light lit the room and something black and emaciated lifted it's head, letting out some kind of deep-throated hiss as it stood up, no bigger than three feet tall, and quickly ran at us.

It wasn't human. That was all my brain told me as I felt back onto my butt, too surprised to react. Harry wasn't as motionless, reaching for something under his shirt and snapping off a bit of chain as he shoved the necklace in front of himself.

"Stay back!"

The creature stopped, looking at us. It seemed almost like it were made of shadows themselves, its skin black and its eyes a milky white as if it shouldn't be able to see. It had clothes though they were clearly not washed in some time and its hair was slicked back over its skull, revealing pointed ears. It's fangs flashed in what weak firelight my lighter could give and its gaze settled on the object in Harry's hand.

The reaction that it had gotten from the creature, I expected to see a gun or something, not a small, simple silver cross. Harry took a step forward with it and the creature took a step back, hissing once more and showing off more teeth.

"I said stay back."

There was a standoff. Harry clearly couldn't do anything to hurt the creature and the creature couldn't come near Harry. The boy turned to me, briefly, not daring to take his eyes off the thing for more than a second. "What are you doing? Go get the others and get out of here."

"And what about you? If I put the light out, you'll be blind."

Harry swallowed. "Yeah, but there's only one way out. If I stay here it can't get close enough to get around me."

"How about you give me the cross and I give you the lighter? You can get the others out then. Follow the hallway. They're behind the first door on the left. Keep going and you'll find a ladder."

Harry shook his head. "Are you religious?"

I laughed dryly for a moment. "No."

"It won't work then. He's protecting me right now. If I lower my guard though, the goblin can attack. If you don't believe in Him, the cross won't do you any good."

I had faint memories of a short explanation about something similar to that with a different Harry but not well enough to recall much.

"Okay then." I had to think. If Harry backed up there would be room to get around us. In the doorway we were safe from anything like that. If this thing was as fast as it seemed to be, there was no way we could fight against it. "Plan B. What do you know about goblins? I had a run down but it was so long ago. Something about light."

"Depends on the goblin," Harry spoke. "This one's underground, so I'm pretty sure it's sensitive to light, but I don't know if it keeps it away. Faith keeps away most things that are evil. Mmm, I'm not really sure I know much about goblins either."

"Too bad I don't have any lighter fluid. We could make a temporary boarder or something out of fire." I could always break the lighter but there'd be no way to light the fluid then, unless I only poured out some. That wasn't an easy thing to do though and it might not leave enough light to escape with. "Any ideas?"

Harry shook his head, standing his ground and taking a step forward every time the goblin tried to skirt its way towards us.

I bent down, trying to move my thumb as much as I could where it was holding the lever down. "You know how to use one of these, right?"

The boy looked from the goblin for a moment to stare at the lighter flame, blinking his eyes and looking away, some of his vision ruined. "Yeah, of course."

"Here then. Put your finger on the lever and take this. If it goes out relight it right away. Go and get your sister and her friend and get out of here. I'll take care of the goblin."

"Really?" Harry stared at me with some amazement, being careful to not look at the flame this time. "What can you do?"

"I can kick its ass. Now go. Don't run if you think the flame will go out. Light is our only weapon aside from your little necklace, and that's the only lighter I have."

Harry listened to me well enough, trying to focus the cross towards the creature while his hand glided over mine, his little fingers cold, taking the lighter from me. I stood, pushing him back slightly.

"Go on."

Harry turned and left, his holy power going with him. The light faded from the room and the goblin's lips drew back over what parts of its yellow, pointed teeth weren't already showing. It started to follow the boy and I stood before it, knowing this was one of the stupidest things I'd ever done. I had no idea how to fight a supernatural creature.

But the thing was three feet tall at most and, before the retreating light disappeared, I did the most foolish thing in years and jumped at the creature, holding it to the ground and wrestling with it.

Goblins, it seems, are a lot stronger and faster than their thin, short bodies led me to believe. The thing got its claws in my arm and ripped through my jacket and skin, drawing blood and a cry that I turned into a growl. I needed to keep him down long enough for the kids to get out, and a few seconds wasn't good enough. I drew one arm back, feeling it roll to the side and try to escape. It snapped my arm straight and I had to plant my feet but the thing didn't get away.

I punched where I thought it was, relying on feeling and sound. My ears weren't all that good but it was small and I was holding it, so I had a pretty hard to miss target. I felt my knuckles connect with flesh and bone, neither giving, and drew back to punch it a second and a third time.

The creature cried out and I felt teeth on my hand the next time, digging into the back of my fist and a few in my palm. With my hand stuck in its mouth there was nothing I could do to pry it out unless I wanted to let it go.

So I moved my shoulder a bit, shoving it deeper into its throat and punching it that way, the pointed teeth ripping the skin up to my wrist.

The goblin's head turned to the side, releasing me and apparently its lunch as I heard it gagging, the smell a second later resembling a dead animal.

I'd barely took a breath and drawn my arm back again while it was sick when something sharp and pointed shot at my chest. It buried itself in my skin, some of the point sliding past my ribs to enter further. I cried out and grabbed at the thing, realizing that it was its arm and not a weapon. With both its arms in my hold again it thrashed. I could feel the front of my shirt and coat growing cold where I was bleeding but it wasn't something I worried about.

I was not young anymore. This fact was shoved in my face practically every day, my walk slower, the pain as I woke resembling something close to arthritis in my joints, a cough or some minor illness keeping me out of work whenever it suck itself upon me. Fighting, by no means, was my strong suit, but I saw no way around it. I stayed there, holding myself back from its teeth and trying to keep it's legs pinned as they scrapped close to my thighs, no shoes on its feet to protect me from equally sharp toenails.

And, damn it, I wasn't about to die when my last meal was a donut and a coffee.

I had weight on my side, even if it was normally a weakness. This thing was still small and, with enough force, I was sure its bones could still break. I backed up, holding its arms down and feeling like an idiot with my ass in the air. I gave myself enough room to use my legs too though, and stomped on the thing with all the weight I could put into the attack.

Claws dug and cut at my skin, its toes ripping up my right pant leg as I smashed down on the creature. I could feel blood staining my clothes but I could also feel the thing weakening, slowing its attacks.

Then it was still, breathing hard and its body leaving little snapping sounds when I brought my leg down. I didn't give it a chance to recover, making sure I'd broken enough of its bones that it wouldn't be following me. I let go, standing up.

"Next time you think about stealing any children from this area, you're going to have me to deal with. Keep fucking around and you won't have the good luck of just a old man as your adversary." I stood, feeling tired and hurt, and turned. I wish I could have been dramatic about it but I had to feel around for the wall in the dark, using touch to get myself back to the hall, listening for the kids to make sure they weren't still around.

The ladder was a nightmare to climb but I did it, using the close confines to push my back against the wall and hold myself there while I took a breather. Crawling out into the sunlight when I reached the top, dripping with blood and sweat like I'd just run a triathlon, I sat down and took a rest.

A few blinks into the harsh light and I could see the kids not far from the opening. The girl, Melissa, looked like she was unconscious, thrown over the dog's back like a harness. The two siblings were staring at me, both worried expression on their faces but they were smiling. Harry came over to me first.

"Hey," he spoke, tugging a bit on my arm. "Did you kill it?"

I shook my head. "I'm good, but I'm only human. I'm sure it won't be bothering any of you for a long time though. If it does," I reached into my pocket, drawing out a business card I only handed out to clients, this one having my cell number instead of my office. "Give me a call."

"You look like hell," Harry said, but there was a bit of laugher to his voice and the worry was fading from his eyes. "Thank you for coming to save us. You're pretty hurt though. We should call an ambulance."

"Sure thing. I bet the hospitals just love getting calls about goblin attacks." I was hurt though, and probably did need a hospital to get a few stitches put in. There was no major damage done though. "How about this? There was some sort of gang war going on and we were caught in the middle of it. As for the girl, she was sleeping over at your house for the past few days. No need to get the cops looking for a fake kidnapper."

Harry nodded. "You're used to making up stories like this, aren't you?"

"I didn't used to be. It's been a while. Sometimes I know when it's best not to tell the truth though. Don't take that as any life lesson. You should always tell the truth."

Harry laughed and I heard Maggie join in. I got to my feet, getting away from the opening and the kids as well. "Come on. We'll drop you kids off first then the medics can have fun stitching me up."

The boy opened his wallet, taking out his fifty and ones. "Here. I never got to give this to you."

"I'm not in it for the money, kid. Keep it."

That seemed to confuse him and he tipped his head a bit, following me and slowly leading his sister and dog after him. "But I thought that was what you wanted when I came to see you."

"You got yourself kidnapped because I didn't figure it out. Not my fault and not your fault. Besides, I have medical insurance. My hospital bill won't cost me a thing and I didn't do much investigating. How about you use that money to buy your sister and her friend a nice big lunch? I bet you could all use it."

The boy's stomach growled and there was nothing more to say after that. I walked with them back to their house to make sure nothing further happened, getting on my cell and calling in a wagon to take me away.

Harry stayed with me, Maggie helping the girl come to and sitting, talking with her over near the front door. I had to wonder what the girl remembered about her three days down in the darkness. I'd let her and her parents sort that all out.

"Why are you being so nice?" Harry looked up at me, dull blue eyes honestly curious. "I thought all adults just wanted money and stuff. I did hire you and it did get you into trouble. I don't see why you wouldn't take it."

I put a hand on his head, making sure none of my blood was on it first. "Harry, we're not all like that and besides, I was like you once. Hard to believe, right? When I was six I was taken from my parents by my grandfather. For years I was trapped there in his house, where he believed I would be safe. It kept me out of school, from making friends, but away from my drug-dealing parents. The police found me when I was ten and had escaped out a window. I'm not sure if it was right or wrong of him, but I know what its like to be scared and alone. Some humans are monsters, but not all of them, and I'd like to think I'm not one of those demons. We're all safe and you couldn't afford me anyway."

"Hank," the boy spoke up again. "My name is Hank. Harry is my god father."

"Ah." That made sense now. There was another 'Harry' in the family. "Hank then. Go take care of those two and get yourself some new clothes before you go out to eat. You look like a pig."

Hank smiled, pushing me enough to make me feel it and gentle enough that I knew he was going easy on me. "Good luck, and get better soon. I'm sure something good will happen for you soon. You're a good person."

Good person. Eh, I knew a few people who were better than me and a lot who were worse. I wouldn't taint the kid's trust any more than I already had though. "Good luck to you too. Hope I never see you again."

"You will."

"Hm?"

"Mom and dad. They know all about the supernatural and I'm going to tell them everything when they get back." Hank shoved his hands in his pockets, likely getting them just as dirty. He pulled one out and tossed me my lighter back. I caught it. "That really helped."

"And I guess faith goes further than I thought. Too bad that still won't make me any more religious."

"You just met us. We're not going to go away that easy. We'll always be here, to return the favor and then some."

The dog turned to me and barked, as if agreeing, and I noticed the two girls turn and look at me, one with questions and a bit of fear in her gaze still, though Maggie's own eyes sparkled with something that was damned familiar once more.

Kids, I thought to myself. They always had that way of getting to me. Today it hadn't gotten me killed and that meant it was a good day. The kids were returned safely and I didn't get paid.

Well, overall it was a good day. Maybe tomorrow would be better.


End file.
